Porcupine Poem by Jeff Hobbs

Let the universe rejoice
from the depths of its reality
Let each dandelion quiver
In a vibrant yellow sea.
Two swans drift peacefully
Toward the sun
as a declaration
of a new friendship.

There's a world outside -
another person dead
Ethiopia cried
for another note.
Why hope?
A graceful Japanese bird
Flew to hidden misty mountains
Bodies littered the gardens.
The South African chess game
has reached a tactical farce.
Paupers give up on soup
they form a money cue
Unemployment becomes a ropeless bondage.
Youth kill
Babies are battered
Rubber bullets are knocked back by rocks
Riot shields are covered in blood
Rats eat away at an old lady's life.
The explosion waits eagerly
A feeble finger is poised to fall
The atomic button rests below.

But still
A tear rolled down my friend's cheek
for none of those reasons.
A small dropp of salty water
Just one.
Leaving a damp trail.
Then it dried up
And for some reason I cared.

(15 August 1985)